Paper Doll

Chapter Five | Grace

The second I felt Percy's lips on mine, I knew it was not the right thing. Leigh... I could feel her presence. It's somewhere around. I pulled away from him and looked over his shoulder. I thought I saw something move.

          "Is something wrong?" Percy asked, surprised.

          I didn't look back at him. I knew I saw something move. I felt something... someone was watching us. This feeling was what I was trying to avoid. This would surely keep up me all night thinking about it.

           "Nothing," I said. I walked back and headed to the couch. With a sigh, I took a seat. "You shouldn't have kissed me," I told him. But my mind was telling me something else. It's commanding me not to disagree to what my heart was saying.

          "I didn't kiss you because I miss kissing Leigh," he said. "I want to assure you that I'm not doing all of these things just because you and Leigh looked like each other. I like you because you're Grace and same thing with Leigh. You're identical but nothing in your personalities is."

           "Leigh is much carefree. She's fearless." I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. I remembered her shouting at me one night because I told her not to go out. She said she didn't want to be in my shadow anymore, when in fact, I was the one hiding in her shadow.

            Percy chuckled. "Yeah, she is," he said, as if remembering something else as well.

            I envied Leigh. She got to make memories on her own. I never got the chance to do that. I was busy being the mother, father and sister to her. I never got the time to myself.

            Silence built between us. Leigh had been a sensitive topic since she went missing. I just hoped we'd find some clue on where she was. I really wanted to know she was okay.

           Percy stood up, extending a hand to me. "Let's start distributing those photos you printed. We are not stopping. We'll make sure people will get a copy of her photo so if ever someone sees her, we'll know," he told me.

           I wiped a tear that escaped my eyes.

           "Okay." I took his hand and went outside with him.

                                                                                 ░ ▒ ░

Sitting at a café, drinking coffee was not the thing I thought of doing after all of Leigh's photos were distributed. Even outside, I could still feel like someone was watching us. Was this a wrong thing? Being this close to Percy when I knew that he's Leigh's?

          "Percy," I called him. He seemed bothered as well, like we're feeling the same thing.

          "We should get back home, I guess," was he said, standing up as he did so.

          As we walked back home, my senses heightened up. Someone was definitely following us.

          I looked back quick. "Did you hear that?"

          "Hear what?" Percy asked, looking back as well. "Grace, you're just tired."

          "No. I know I heard something... someone." I stared in his eyes. "What if Leigh is just around us? Watching? What if she is mad at me?"

          "Why would she even be mad at you?" he asked, confused.

          I shook my head, looking anywhere but him. "I don't know. I feel like I did something wrong to her. Maybe she saw us when you kissed me," I informed him, wide eyed. Worried was plastered on my face. I felt like I was losing it.

          He cupped my face. I was scared.

          "Or maybe the one following us is the one who kidnapped Leigh? What if they're onto me?"

           "Grace!" His voice rose up a notch. "No one is onto you. I'll make sure you'll be safe. I wasn't able to do that with Leigh, but for you, I'll make sure of that. Okay?"

          I was at a loss for words. Percy would do anything to keep me safe. But in a quick motion, I pulled back. "Let's keep it private. I don't want people to see us like this. So close they would think of something else. I'm not that kind of person, Percy." I walked away from him, hurriedly went back to the house.

          "Grace, wait. Wait." He grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him.

           "Percy, this is not right!" I shouted, tears were stinging almost ready to fall.

           He let go of my hand and growled. "You're thinking of it the wrong way."

           "What do you mean?"

           "I like you, Grace. More than a friend. I like you."